How To Properly Clean And Disinfect Your Home When Someone Is Sick

It’s important to remember that when someone in your household is sick, it’s essential to disinfect any surfaces the person has touched. This will help eliminate the germs and make sure they don’t get passed back and forth between roommates, family members, or other people who live with you. It’s necessary to properly clean and disinfect everything in order to protect yourself from getting sick in the current COVID 19 pandemic!

The importance of disinfecting your home

The coronavirus pandemic has brought upon everybody an important lesson on how to properly clean and disinfect your home in order to prevent the spread of this infection. This virus is transmitted from person to person through contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces.

Since infections are passed along so easily, it is very important that you disinfect everything that may have come into contact with an infected individual. Especially if that individual had any of the severe symptoms associated with this disease such as: coughing, fever, and shortness of breath.  

There are many different types of disinfectants that you can use to sanitize your home; however, it is highly recommended that you utilize bleach since it may be used even on hard surfaces without leaving residue. The following will list the proper ways in which you can disinfect your home.

Cleaning hard surfaces

There are many different methods of disinfecting hard surfaces in your home. However, there are some common steps that you should take during this process: wash-clean-disinfect. This involves first washing any items with a mild detergent and hot water. You can use an Amazon detergent sheet when doing the laundry.

Then, you should disinfect the surface by using the multi surface cleaner for COVID that will eliminate all viruses from the surface. It is important that you clean and disinfect all areas that may have potentially been exposed to an infected individual such as doorknobs, light switches, countertops, toilets, sinks, etc.

You may also choose to disinfect the inside of your toilet by putting bleach into the bowl and allowing it to soak for at least twenty minutes. This will help prevent any viruses from spreading in the bathroom area.

Washing blankets

The first step towards disinfecting your home is by washing all blankets, sheets, and clothing that may have been exposed to an infected individual. This includes any linens, bedding, shoes, and clothing.

All of these items should be washed on high heat cycles along with adding bleach to the wash. Be sure to properly scrub any linens and clothing that require it so there is not an area for the infection to hide.

How to clean upholstery, including couches, chairs, and ottomans 

You should clean upholstery on a regular basis, but when someone is sick it helps to go ahead and sanitize everything so you don’t continue to spread germs or catch an illness yourself. This process is easier if done right after those first symptoms appear. However, if it has been longer than 24-48 hours since the last time you cleaned your furniture, you may need to try a few different methods.

While most people think that they should wash the upholstery, this is actually the worst thing you can do. Washing the fabric actually ends up spreading germs back onto your furniture instead of getting rid of them! Instead, you want to sanitize it.

First, vacuum all of the surfaces that could have been affected by any liquids or other contaminants (if someone threw up on your couch for example). Next, wipe down all of the surfaces with a disinfectant spray and let them dry. If mold has developed underneath where you cannot see it, try using a black light to find it and then use bleach (baking soda works too) to get rid of it. 

Effective ways for cleaning the kitchen and bathroom 

If you typically clean your kitchen and bathroom on a daily or weekly basis, it’s important to emphasize the importance of cleaning these areas when someone is infected with COVID. This is because you won’t just be removing the germs from the surfaces that they touched.

You’ll also want to disinfect the areas that they had contact with, as this will help prevent them from spreading their illness to you (especially if they touch any food in your fridge).

Some cleaning tips for the kitchen area also include wiping down all surfaces with bleach and then sanitizing counters with a disinfectant spray. For bathrooms, make sure you scrub sinks, toilets, and bathtubs before proceeding to wipe them down. Be sure to also clean off any soap or toiletries from the countertops.

How to clean a mattress and pillow after someone is sick in bed

First of all, remove any linens from the infected bed. Then dump large amounts of bleach onto them (the box recommends 1 tablespoon per gallon) and leave them to sit for at least 30 minutes before washing them with soap.

Once they are dry, put on new sheets and pillow cases. Within 3 days this should be effective in killing germs in your sheets if someone was recently sleeping there when they were sick. If you cannot wash your sheets for some reason, you can also use a vacuum to suck up the contaminated area and then dispose of the bag in a sealed plastic bag outside of your home after.

If you have pets, be sure to sanitize them as well! Pets are susceptible to many of the same germs that people are, so it’s important not to miss out on this step if they’ve potentially been infected by someone with COVID or something similar.

Eliminating stains left behind by sick family members

If someone has been vomiting or coughing a lot around the house, most likely there will still be stains even after wiping down surfaces with bleach and other cleaning products. However, using several teaspoons of baking soda and a regular amount of white vinegar should do the trick.

Just make sure to test in an inconspicuous place first, such as behind the fridge or under the kitchen sink, because if you use too much baking soda it could cause discoloration that cannot be cleaned off!

Cleaning and disinfecting your home is important for many reasons. Not only does it keep the bacteria that are making you sick from spreading to other people in your house, but it also helps prevent the spread of COVID 19. This is especially important for those who live in close quarters such as dorms, retirement homes, and military bases.